Love for a thousand lifetimes
by chloemcg
Summary: Alfendi has a nightmare about his father leaving him, what can Professor Layton do to soothe his son?


**Disclaimer: The rights to Professor Layton belongs to Level 5 games as does Alfendi Layton. **

**Love for a thousand lifetimes.**

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><p>Alfendi whimpered, tossing and turning in his crib with his cute little face tightening in anxiety whilst his gripped on tightly to the edge of his blankets. He was becoming sweaty and his wavy purple fair was becoming dishevelled and turning into a bright crimson that was a bright burgundy in the bright moonlight shining through the window.<p>

He was having a nightmare.

He kicked his little legs and his whimpers became even louder. He rolled on to his side and let out a strained cry whence his mind replayed multiple images inside his mind. They were horrifying and terrible and they would make any child's legs turn into pure jelly whenever they thought back to it. It was a spine-trembling nightmare, indeed.

All at once, after what felt like centuries, his eyes snapped open and his hands flew up to his tear filled eyes when he finally awoke from that terrifying nightmare. He even burrowed himself beneath his blankets to hide himself from the monster his mind had created and forced him into a terrified state. Upon pulling the blankets over himself, he became naught but a shivering lump beneath the bright blue covers.

However he stopped whimpering a bit when he felt two hands slide underneath him and scoop him up into a pair of familiar yet warm arms that made little Al open his eyes and get a look at his tear-blurred surroundings.

His voice choked when he saw the kindly rectangular face of Professor Hershel Layton; his father.

The Professor had his top hat still perched on his head and he looked calm and well-maintained in his composure whilst he looked down at his son. His eyes were tired but they were somewhat soothing and the smile he gave was more so, making the young boy feel a bit calmer.

Alfendi clung to his father with those same widened and terrified eyes, shaking and shivering with his blanket wrapped around him as if to give him some security in his heart but that seemed to have done little to nothing in the case of how horrified he was.

The Professor sighed warmly and carried his son other towards a rocking chair and seated himself down in it and slowly settling Alfendi down on his lap and getting him to weaken his grip on his pyjama shirt and actually settle him down completely without the need to tug his anatomy free from the child's tight grasp.

"Now," Professor Layton started, his tone light "tell me what's the matter, Alfendi? Did you have a nightmare?"

Alfendi trembled feverishly, his huge eyes widening at the memory of his nightmare. His hair started to become even more wild and turned a darker shade of crimson, signalling that asking this question was definitely the wrong way to go in calming him down. He kicked his little legs and grunted in an attempt to try and swat away imaginary monsters that haunted his mind.

"N-N-N-N-N-Nooo!" He wailed, thrashing about in his father's arms unsettlingly.

The Professor silenced him by placing a quick hand on his son's head, tussling his red and wavy locks beneath his palm, and he decided to be a little bit firm with him but not firm enough to frighten him and make his tantrum even worse.

"Alfendi, it's alright! You need to trust me...I'm right here, listen!" The Professor got Alfendi to look him right in the eye and their eyes did indeed meet; upset, huge yellow-orbs looking into soft, black and dot-like abysses.

The two didn't speak for moments until the Professor tried again and calmed his voice down into a whisper, the smile on his face returning "Alfendi, I will make your problems better but you need to tell me what the matter is. If anything comes to harm you, I will protect you from them."

His father's words were like a sword cutting butter. They rang in his mind, making it chime like a bell and making him actually hang on to his every word. Alfendi whimpered a little, recovering from his tantrum, and he sniffled calming breaths so he wouldn't hyperventilate. His hair was even beginning to turn back into its normal placid purple again whilst he was calming down.

He sighed when he felt calm enough to speak and he swallowed.

Looking up at the gentleman, Alfendi started to speak in his tiny voice "I...I had a bad dream...Wh-where you left me alone..." his voice begun to break beneath the strong and calm resolve he had kept up "...in a box...and th-then some men in...in black came towards me...th-they started attacking me and calling me a fweak..."

The Professor processed each and every word his son spoke. From what he could guess, the whole beginning thing must have been a subconscious memory of how he was abandoned by his biological parents. Alfendi was found in a box in a tunnel by the docks, after all. But the men in black thing...that was very peculiar, could he be referring to...Targent?

He secretly shook his head. No, it couldn't be. Target broke up after the whole Azran thing, they couldn't still be operating...could they?

But then came this next bit. Could Alfendi be afraid of being ridiculed by others? He didn't know...he supposed he would have to keep listening to find out.

Alfendi continued, his voice breaking into breathless hyperventilation "I-I called for y-you, Papa! I w-weally did! But...but you didn't come..."

He looked up, unfamiliar fury and hurt burning inside his innocent eyes. His hair was becoming wild and dishevelled again and he was glaring so hardly that it could burn holes into someone's soul. If looks could kill the Professor would have been dissembled and dead within a millisecond.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE M-ME, PAPA!?"

Alfendi's screech was shrill and so loud that it could make ears bleed.

It made the Professor's blood run cold to see the poor boy look and act so distressed. It seems that Al didn't know the difference of dreams and reality so even if the Professor wanted to come and rescue his little son from the torture he went through in the depths of his mind -which he so wish he could- he couldn't do a thing.

But Alfendi didn't know any better and that was seriously hard for any father to cope with.

The Professor sadly watched as Alfendi broke down into tears again, sobbing and burying himself into his blankets once more. While he had nestled cozily against his father's stomach, the Professor decided to comfort him quite awkwardly as he planted a slow hand down on to Al's back to try and comfort him.

Those little sobs bursting from the four and a half year old made Professor Layton's stomach twist and turn, signalling a great deal of distress from within the top hatted gentleman archeologist. He closed his eyes, making sure to press his feet against the floor to make the chair push back until the chair got into a nice rhythm and rocked them both.

"Alfendi, I would _never _leave you! I swear it on my top hat." The Professor assured his sobbing bundle.

The Professor rocked his son from side-to-side, snuggling him soothingly by nuzzling his rectangular face against his son's nose. He felt his son's heartbeat against his chest and he repeatedly hushed him and tried to calm the boy down by just holding him tight, he couldn't think of any words to say to do the job so he decided that this was a much better way to do it.

It was then he had an idea.

The Professor carefully peeled a small portion of the blankets off his son's face and began to study him quite intensely.

Alfendi sniffled and looked up at his father with frightened eyes, peering up from the edge of his blankets by pulling a little more of the blankets away "W-What are you doing?"

Eventually, after more moments of searching, he replied with a wry grin "Simple, I'm searching for that smile of yours."

Alfendi was confused. How can you find a smile? You make smiles, don't you? They can't be misplaced and the very concept of that was just silly. Despite this the puzzle Professor continued his search and every so often shifted the toddler's position on his lap to get a better observation of his little pudgy face.

Eventually he started to softly poke his finger at random spots on Alfendi's body, especially around his little arms and feet.

Alfendi fought against the laughter threatening to burst forth, as well as fighting off the smile that was threatening to stick on his lips and thus making so a wiggly line was formed across his mouth.

Professor Layton was smirking rather mischievously now. Realising Alfendi's weak spot, he started to gently yet quickly brush his finger underneath Al's arms. He watched as the child tried to scoot away and maintain his anger but he was finding that harder and harder as the delightful torture began to break down his defences and making him chortle.

Narrowing his eyes with a grin, the Professor asked "Now where's that smile?"

Alfendi gasped for breath, now bursting out laughing and trying to talk in between these fits of hysterical laughter "N-No! Papa...Please! S-Stop! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The Professor smirked even wider if it were possible. He was happy that he found the way to make Alfendi smile again and he wasn't just about to release it and make him stop grinning again! An overwhelming sense of glee filled the Puzzle-loving-archaeologist's heart.

Finally, after much more tickling, the Professor ceased the delightful torture.

Alfendi breathlessly panted, recovering from the attack of tickling he had just endured and he curled up into a little ball against his father's chest and his little mop of hair changed back into its slick placid purple mess. He sighed just after giggling for a little longer, a smile now fixed on his little face.

The Professor grinned and his eyes softened as he swept a small strand of his purple wavy locks out of his tear stained face. He felt a powerful glow warm his heart up as if it was being heated by a hot water bottle.

The moonlight reflected off their forms and the pair of Layton's stayed in each other's embrace. Alfendi snuggled up against his top-hat-wearing-gentleman of a father whilst the former closed his eyes softly and held his son tightly whilst he continued to rock in the chair.

Al shifted on the Professor's lap to stare out the window and the both of them stared out to look at the moon that shone down on their forms, finding the moon more beautiful than ever. The skies were dotted with stars that twinkled repeatedly to make the night just like the pure jewel of astronomy.

They both loved the view the moon presented to them and wouldn't trade this moment for any other. Minutes blurred into an hour and the atmosphere was becoming sweet and tender, sleepy even.

Alfendi eventually began to grow weary and his eyes begun to droop. He curled up in his father's loving arms and put his thumb in his mouth, proceeding to suck on it and he wore a sleepy smile on his face.

While watching his son sleep sweet dreams, Professor Layton smiled softly and held his boy tight. He couldn't be more proud to be his father and he wouldn't trade Alfendi for any other child in the world, he was his one and only child. He loved him so much and he looked down at the boy lovingly and with pure adoration.

He bent down and planted a kiss on Alfendi's forehead.

"Sweet dreams, my dear boy."

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><p><strong>AN: Hi, everyone, here's another fanfic for the Professor and Alfendi. **

**I thought that I should make a nice one which was calming and filled with fluff, I go crazy for those types of fanfic's and I thought that you would all like it. I'm still not well, sadly, but I'm hoping to get better soon.**

**Please review and tell me what you all think of this.**

**-Chloemcg**


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